Clasp



May 6, 1952 L. P. KNOWLTON CLASP Filed March 24, 1950 V INVENTOR.ZEZA/VD A? h Nomro/v BY Mag ,47'7'0 E NEV Patented May 6, 1952 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE CLASP Leland P. Knowlton, Worcester, Mass.

Application March 24, 1950, Serial No. 151,575

1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to new and improved clasps or the likedevices.

The principal object of the present invention resides in the provisionof a new and improved toothed clasp which is particularly adapted forsecurely and positively holding relatively lightweight or sleazymaterials, e. g., such as are found in catamenial bandages, although thepresent clasp has many other uses.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a clasp asabove stated comprising a pair of members each of which has an enlargedend and a small end, said members being pivoted together at the smallends thereof, the larger end of one member havin a slot for receiving atape or the like and the two members at their wider ends being providedwith interfitting snap latching means comprising a resilient tab or thelike and a hole into which the tab may snap, the teeth on said membersbeing arranged at narrowed waist portions thereof and lying alongcorresponding edges and being so formed that when the two members arelatched together, said teeth interfit but do not touch, and formtherebetween a sinuous passage having sharp angles, to the end that saidpassage will receive and the teeth securely hold loosely woven fabricsas well as other types of fabrics, said teeth securely holding the sameand preventing withdrawal thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is aview in front elevation of the novel clasp showing the same closed;

Fig. 2 is a similar figure showing the clasp open;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the clasp partly open; and

Fig. 4 is an edge View looking in the direction of the arrow 4 of Fig.2.

Much difficulty has been experienced in holding fabrics of loosely wovenmaterials in certain relations where it is necessary to hold suchfabrics positively, without bunching, and in such a manner that they aresecure and will not give way. Such a relation is to be found in thesecurement of catamenial bandages and the present invention provides aclasp that will hold them positively without any bunching or give and ina particularly effective manner.

The presentfclasp comprises a pair of members ID and I2, :each of whichhas an enlarged end and a small end, the small ends being ooextensiveand rounded, as is clearly seen at I 4, to provide for an interpivotingrivet or the like I6. The opposite end of member 10 is enlarged in asubstantially flat head l8 which has a cross slot 2 t in which a tape orthe like may be secured and this slot is provided with a recess 22 inone side edge thereof for a purpose to be described.

Between the enlarged head [8 and the pivot end of member ID, the same isgreatly reduced forming a waist portion 24, the same being toothed withlarge, sharp triangular teeth 26. These teeth are arranged on a linewhich is substantially midway between the center of the rivet l6 and thecenter of slot 20 so that tension applied between these points will beexerted along a line at right angles to the line of the teeth 25.

The other member I2 is provided with an enlarged head 28 ofsubstantially triangular form. On this head at an extreme cornerthereof, there is a down-turned tab 30 and at the other corner of thehead there is another down-turned tab 32 which is adapted to act as athumb piece, tab tllsnapping into recess 22 as shown in Fig. 1 to closethe clasp.

Member [2 also has a reduced waist portion indicated at 34 which isprovided with teeth 36 substantially complementary to teeth 26 andfacing the latter as clearly shown.

When the clasp is to be closed by moving the members from the Fig. 2position to the Fig. 1 position, it is merely necessary to insert thematerial to be clasped between the members and then swing them together,because the tab 30 will strike the edge of the head l8 approximately atthe point 38 and upon so doing, it very easily distorts member l2 at thehead 28 so that tab 30 rides up over the material of the head l8 andthen finds and snaps into the recess 22 which is evenly spaced with thetab from the axis of the members in the rivet IS.

The head 28 of member [2 always overlies the side surface of head l8opposite from the side of member I B to which member I2 is pivoted, seeparticularly Fig. 3 wherein it is apparent that member it is pivotedbehind member I2 but the head 28 overlies head it when the members aremoved toward each other for closing.

Since the large triangular sharp teeth 26 and 36 do not touch when theclasp is closed, they form between them a sinuous passage having sharpangles; and once a piece of cloth is caught .on the teeth, it will beseen that the cloth is positively held by the sharp corners of theteeth.

all

Any tendency exerted by pulling downwardly on the cloth held, andupwardly on the tab 40, as for instance in the direction of the arrow42, will not tend to open the clasp because the clasp must be openedwith a motion at right angles to the direction of the arrow. Inaddition, this resistance to accidental opening is greatly enhanced byreason of the fact that member I2 is pivoted at one side of member IDand latched thereto at the opposite side, thus requiring a definitepressure on tab 32 transversely of the device to release tab 30 fromnotch 22.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as setforth in the claim, but what I'claim is A clasp comprising a pair offiat plate-like members connected at one end by a pivot and havingreduced toothed waist portions provided with teeth on their inner edgesand enlarged heads on the other ends of said members, one of saidmembers being connected by said pivot to a side surface of the othermember and being adapted to yield beyond said pivot such that its headengages the opposite side surface of the head of said other member undertension when the clasp is closed so as to resist unintended opening ofthe clasp, the head on one of said members having a recess, and the headon the other member having a tab projecting laterally from the surfaceengaging said opposite head and receivable in said recess when the claspis closed, said toothed waist portions on said memrecess.

LELAND P. KNOWLTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 297,080 Kalish Apr. 15, 1884791,654 Searle- June 6, 1905 1,065,240 Gundlach June 17,, 1913 1,710,627Keethes Apr. 23, 1929 2,345,481 Kaiser Mar. 28, 1944

